EPA Hearings in Denver on Clean Water Plan

The EPA held public hearings in Denver on Monday and Tuesday to gather input on federal implementation of the Clean Power Plan, which targets pollution from coal fired power plants. The plan was finalized this summer. The CPP allows states to submit their own plans, but the federal government will also design its own plan to apply in states that don’t submit. Anna McDevitt heads the Climate Program for Environment Colorado, a citizen based environmental advocacy organization. She says that Colorado’s plan has strong statewide support, but that the issue of carbon pollution is bigger than any one state. “Air pollution and the impacts of climate change, those things don’t know state boundaries.”

On Tuesday night, the U.S. Senate voted to pass two resolutions to reverse the Clean Power Plan, the first-ever federal limits on carbon pollution from power plants and the centerpiece of President Obama’s plan to tackle climate change. The president has promised to veto the resolution by Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R- W.Va.), which blocks the limits on existing plants. The Senate also voted to pass a measure to block rules on new power plants. The measures did not pass with enough votes to override a presidential veto. Senator Michael Bennett voted against both resolutions.